


Chance

by ChristineThalassinou1990



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Jedi Apprentice Series - Jude Watson & Dave Wolverton
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Artist Mace, Best Friends, Fluff, Force Bond (Star Wars), Gen, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jedi Master Dooku, Jedi Robes Are Perfect Blankets, Mace is a bit foul-mouthed, Master & Padawan Relationship(s), Padawan Qui-Gon Jinn, Protective Dooku, Qui-Gon needs a hug, Self-Doubt, Supportive Dooku, Timeline What Timeline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-06-29 10:24:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15727497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChristineThalassinou1990/pseuds/ChristineThalassinou1990
Summary: Qui-Gon is a 16-year-old street rat when Dooku finds him on a noname Outer Rim planet and discovers that Qui is Force-sensitive. The Force bonds them so it's only logical for Dooku to accept Qui as his Padawan.But Qui isn't sure he could deal with the Jedi and his new life, and he desperately needs friends and his master. How fortunate, then, that he meets a certain Obi-Wan Kenobi; and Mace Windu.





	1. Street Rat

**Author's Note:**

> For the sake of this story (and of my sanity), the Jedi have a much more normal attitude toward... well, everything. For example, if they find a Force-sensitive who's willing to learn, then they'll train him, regardless the age, for untrained Force-powers are dangerous and destructive. (duh...)

Jedi knight Dooku suppressed a yawn as he walked across the town's small market, searching for something to drink. The weather was quite hot and dry, and he had a restless night so now he felt tired. The plan was to get something to drink and later eat for dinner, then go back to his hotel room and leave the planet next morning.

His mission here was a short and simple one, a peace negotiation that went smoothly, thank the Force. Honestly, he didn't even bother to remember the planet's name after he left the room where the negotiations took place, and he was sure he'd forget the whole business the minute he'd leave the atmosphere.

As Dooku neared a store that seemed promising, he heard some loud noise and shouting behind his back. At first he didn't want to care, he was worn out and thirsty, after all, but when he heard a young voice crying out in pain he changed his mind. A Jedi wouldn't watch someone else's suffering idly; especially not a child's. So Dooku turned on his heels to see if he could help.

He supposed the scene was usual in markets like this: a young thief, not more than sixteen years old, got caught by one of the storeowners. However, Dooku was sure the force that had been used against the poor boy was completely unnecessary.

"You really don't have to kill him" he said calmly to the owner.

"You really don't have to meddle in my business!" the shop-owner spat back and kicked the already lying kid in the ribs.

Dooku felt a flash of anger as the kid curled up into a ball, trying to protect himself against the further abuse.

"As I said, there's no need to kill him. I'm sure he understood your point absolutely clearly." His voice was still calm, but inside, the Jedi knight was furious; child abuse had always been a trigger for him.

"Just who the hell do you think you are?" the shop-owner growled, finally facing Dooku completely. He would surely have said more, but Dooku pushed back his robe just enough for his lightsaber to become visible.

That made everyone in the near vicinity shut up and get away as fast as possible. No one wanted to mess with an angry Jedi.

The shopkeeper also disappeared in his shop again, but not before casting a last malicious glance in Dooku's general direction. The Jedi knight didn't care about him anymore, he went to the still lying kid, crouching down next to him.

"Are you alright, lad?" Dooku asked as gently as he could; he still choked on his anger.

The kid stirred then sat up, however, the movement clearly caused him pain. After a minute he looked up at his rescuer and Dooku felt his heart skip a beat, although, he couldn't really explain why.

"Honestly, no, sir..." the kid muttered, looking away in embarrassment. "I'm hungry, I haven't eaten anything since yesterday..."

The logical solution would've been to give some money to the kid so he could buy food, but Dooku didn't feel like logical with this boy for some reason. He was tall for his age and way too thin, and he had messy brown hair and big, sad midnight-blue eyes. His clothes were dirty and visibly small for him. He looked altogether miserable, and Dooku felt an inexplicable urge to help him as much as he could. And that meant he wouldn't leave him alone in a hostile environment.

"Come, then, I'll get you something" he said and not waiting for a reply, he began to walk toward the shop he picked on before.

The kid followed him a second later.

"Thank you, sir" he murmured when Dooku gave him the two sandwiches and the bottle of some fruit drink, and devoured them in less than five minutes.

"Would you like some more?" Dooku asked, quite stunned by the boy's speed in eating.

The kid hesitated but then nodded; his hunger was stronger than his obvious shyness. Dooku's heart squeezed a bit by the sight. He bought one more sandwich and something to drink for the boy, and while he ate, the Jedi gathered some food for himself as well.

When they stepped out of the shop, the kid visibly wanted to get away, but the Force told Dooku the opposite. He knew he couldn't let the boy go just yet.

"What's your name, kid?" he asked, trying to buy some time to figure out what to do next.

"Qui-Gon Jinn. Are you really a Jedi, sir?" the boy inquired curiously, looking up at Dooku straight in the eyes for the first time since they've met.

"Yes, I'm a Jedi, I'm knight Dooku. It's nice to meet you, Qui-Gon."

"Yeah, well... I think I should go. I've held you up already for too long, I suppose. Thank you for your kindness, sir" Qui-Gon muttered and turned away to leave.

"No, no, you haven't; and it was my pleasure to help." The Force buzzed contently around them, and Dooku got more and more confident that it wasn't mere coincidence he met this boy; and he was more than willing to investigate further. "Do you have a place to stay at night?" he asked, although, he had a strong guess about the answer, which was proved right when Qui-Gon shook his head a moment later.

"I've been homeless since I was thirteen" he admitted.

"I see. Well, Qui-Gon, I can offer you a place to stay until morning if you accept it. You can have a proper shower and more food if you still feel hungry. I promise I won't hurt you."

Qui-Gon knew very well that it was a big leap of faith to accept this offer; he'd heard stories about disappeared and killed orphans, after all. But for some reason he trusted this Jedi when he said he wouldn't hurt him, and a shower did sound really good, not to mention the possibility of more food. He didn't even remember when was the last time he went to sleep without feeling miserably hungry. It just sounded too good to be true.

"Okay, I'll accept" he said finally. "Thank you, sir."

"Follow me, then. And please, don't call me 'sir', I'm not a sir to anybody. I'm Dooku, alright?"

"Alright" Qui-Gon shrugged and followed the Jedi to his hotel.

*

While Qui-Gon was in the shower, Dooku tried to find him a clean set of outfit among his own spare clothes. The boy was just an inch or two shorter than he was, and it was quite obvious that he'd grow more, given the time and proper food.

About ten minutes later Qui-Gon emerged from the bathroom, wrapped up in a huge, fluffy towel, which he seemed to enjoy very much. His damp, messy hair fell into his eyes, and he generally looked a bit better than before. Dooku gave him the clean underwear to put on then let him make himself comfortable on the couch, giving him his own Jedi robe as a blanket, for his room didn't have any spare one.

"I'm going to make some tea, would you like to drink, too?" he asked, and the boy nodded enthusiastically.

"I love tea" he smiled, and for some reason, this smile warmed Dooku's heart.

"Alright, then."

Sometime later, they were sitting on the couch, cradling a mug of hot tea, Qui-Gon wrapped up in Dooku's big, warm robe; and the Jedi felt like the kid had always belonged there. It was an inexplicable feeling, but honest and true all the same.

"Tell me, Qui-Gon... How did you end up on the streets? You seem like a smart lad" Dooku asked, hoping that he wasn't too straightforward.

"Well, I wasn't too fond of the orphanage where I lived" Qui-Gon shrugged, but his body language gave it away that he wasn't eager to talk about this topic.

"And what about your parents?" the Jedi risked the question; and the air instantly froze around them.


	2. Bond

"I get that as you don't want to talk about it" Dooku said calmly when Qui-Gon curled up and pulled his robe-blanket tighter around himself, hiding his face into the warm fabric. "It's alright... and I apologize if I was too bold. I didn't mean to upset you."

"Okay..." answered Qui-Gon, his voice small and he looked pretty miserable; Dooku felt his heart squeezing again.

Then he felt something entirely different and unexpected: the Force around them made lazy waves as Qui-Gon reached out to it, obviously for comfort, for the kid almost instantly became calmer and sipped his tea as if nothing happened.

Dooku was about to ask but changed his mind. Qui-Gon was tired and needed a goodnight sleep desperately, so the Jedi knight decided to speak with him in the morning. Although, this discovery just made him more determined to keep the boy with him.

"Get some sleep, you need it" he said gently, and after giving him his empty mug, Qui-Gon lay down and curled up under Dooku's robe. "Good night, Qui-Gon."

"Good night, s... Dooku."

The Jedi smiled at his young charge and retreated into his room to meditate on the issue at hand. He sat down comfortably on his bed, closed his eyes and just let his thoughts flow.

So the kid was Force-sensitive but obviously clueless about it, or at least couldn't name what he was doing, he just did it by pure instinct. And he was strong, he reached out so easily without knowing what he was doing that it made Dooku even more curious about Qui-Gon's parents. He apparently had Force-sensitive ancestors; and he needed training. It was only logical to take him to the Jedi Temple and teach him.

 

A few hours later, when Dooku, too, had already been asleep, he sensed a disturbance in the Force. It wasn't imminent danger, more like a shapeless, radiating panic nearby: Qui-Gon.

Dooku sighed and got up, giving up entirely on peaceful sleep on this planet. Perhaps when they'd get home he'd have a chance to sleep through the night.

Qui-Gon was asleep but stirred restlessly under Dooku's robe, whimpering in nightmare-induced fear. Dooku sat down on the floor next to the couch and hugged the kid's neck, running his fingers through his silky brown hair. Their faces were just an inch apart as Dooku rested his drowsy head on the couch.

"It's just a dream, nothing's going to hurt you. It's okay" he murmured as he kept stroking the boy's messy hair, hoping to calm him with the touch. "I'm here, so you're safe. You're just dreaming. It's alright."

Qui-Gon indeed calmed down a little, his whimper reduced to quiet moaning, but the nightmare was still there, Dooku felt it clearly. He reached out toward the boy with the Force, sending soothing feelings and thoughts to him... and what happened in the next minute was as determining as it was unexpected.

Qui-Gon felt the Jedi's approach through the Force and answered to it in kind, his mind brushed against Dooku's, shyly but curiously. Dooku didn't refuse him, he couldn't; and a split second later he felt a connection forming between them. When he tried to abort it, the Force whirled around him angrily, and Qui-Gon woke up with a start, panicked and gasping for air.

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay, you're safe" Dooku whispered, now sitting next to Qui-Gon and hugging the shivering kid tight. "It's alright, it's alright."

Qui-Gon was still horrified but snuggled into the Jedi's arms instinctively, grabbing his sleeping tunic and buried his face into the fabric; it seemed that was a usual response of him to emotional distress. Dooku just held him, stroking his back slowly while he examined again the new bond in his mind.

He was sure it wasn't intentional on Qui-Gon's part, the kid just reached out toward the only sentient being nearby who offered him help when he needed it the most; but the idea of severing that connection had been opposed by nothing less than the Force itself. Dooku had to discover with mild surprise that he was okay with that. He would gladly take Qui-Gon as his apprentice if that was what the Force wanted him to do.

_Is it, then? Is this what you want?_ , he thought as he let the Force flow through him. It soothed him, cocooned him like a warm blanket, almost singing in satisfaction. Dooku smiled lazily. _Alright, then._

"Qui-Gon?" he murmured, trying to determinate if the boy was awake and responsive.

The kid stirred, snuggled even closer but then looked up at him, his eyes shiny with unshed tears. He was still frightened.

"What happened...?" he asked, voice muffled and shaky with strong emotions.

"Apparently, you had a terrible nightmare, and when I wanted to wake you up, you reached out a bit... differently. You were scared and you instinctively connected to me on a... non-physical level. That's what you're feeling right now" Dooku explained as he sent soothing waves through their new bond.

"Is it you? What's that? It feels so strange..."

"It's a Force-bond. That means we belong to each other in a way the Force deems right."

"I don't really understand..." Qui-Gon muttered, already half-asleep again. "But it feels good to belong."

"You will understand. I promise" Dooku sighed as he felt the kid falling asleep in his arms.

*

"I have a question for you" Dooku began when they finished their breakfast next morning.

The Jedi was done with packing, the only thing left to do was to convince Qui-Gon to go with him and accept him as his teacher.

"I want to go with you... if that's your question" Qui-Gon said hesitantly, sitting on the bed and hugging his knees to his chest.

He looked so young that Dooku couldn't resist the urge to sit beside him and hug him protectively. Qui-Gon snuggled into his arms, resting his head on the Jedi's shoulder. It already felt so natural to Dooku that he couldn't imagine leaving without this boy. They belonged to each other, he believed it with all of his heart.

"Yes... one of my questions was that. And I'm glad you want to come" he smiled. "But I'd like to know something else as well."

"And what is that?"

"What do you know about the Force, Qui-Gon Jinn?"

Qui-Gon shrugged.

"Nothing, honestly... Just that it's some Jedi-thing."

"Not necessarily, but let's not dwell into that question now. My point is that you're a Force-user, Qui-Gon, even without knowing anything about it, and that means you need training. I can teach you how to use the Force if you're willing to accept me as your master."

The kid went very still as he tried to process all the information Dooku told him. He didn't really get it yet, but he did understand that Dooku offered him a chance to have a better life; and he was willing to grab it, whatever it took.

"I'm willing to do whatever you want... Just please, take me with you!"


	3. Arrival

Half an hour later Dooku could finally drop into the pilot-chair of his ship and took off the planet, perfectly aware of the fact that Qui-Gon was behind him, watching everything with unwavering curiosity.

"First time on a spaceship, I assume" Dooku smiled, and Qui-Gon nodded.

"I travelled for a few times on speeders, but never on a spaceship. It's kinda cool!"

However, his opinion changed drastically when they jumped into hyperspace. It made him nauseous, so much he almost threw up, he went pale and felt a bit dizzy. A split second later he fell straight into Dooku's arms, feeling weak and cold.

"I... I don't feel well..." he muttered, burying his face into the Jedi's tunic.

"It'll pass soon. Just breathe. It's going to go away soon" Dooku comforted him, and a few minutes later Qui-Gon indeed felt better. He slumped into the co-pilot's chair, pulling Dooku's robe tight around himself, for he still shivered a bit.

"Is this normal?" he asked, obviously a bit worried.

"Well, there are many people who are not on good terms with space travel or hyperspace jumps. It's just a condition like allergy or things like that. And like for allergy, there are different medicines for this as well. We'll find the one that suits you best when we reach Coruscant, okay?"

"Okay. What will we do on Coruscant? What's on Coruscant?"

"Coruscant is the home of the Jedi; well, one of their homes, there are a few other planets where we have Temples and schools. But the Jedi Council is on Coruscant, and I have to report to them about my mission... and introduce you as my new Padawan, of course."

"What's a Padawan?"

Dooku sighed and sat down in the pilot-chair, facing his curled up, innocently blinking soon-to-be-apprentice. He tended to forget that despite Qui-Gon was sixteen, he didn't know anything about the Jedi culture, not even the things that were so natural to Dooku as breathing.

"You're stuffed with questions like a four-year-old" he said fondly. "But it's alright, I guess, since I've taken you away from the only home you knew. And to answer your question, a Padawan is a Jedi knight's or master's apprentice. A Jedi-in-training."

"So you want me to be a Jedi?" Qui-Gon asked, his midnight-blue eyes wide with awe and fear equally.

"Well, you don't necessarily _have to_ be a Jedi if you don't like the idea, but you _do_ need training. You're Force-sensitive, and that means you have powers that need to be controlled. Without training, you're dangerous to the people around you. You have to learn control over your abilities" Dooku explained while absentmindedly musing over the fact that he couldn't get used to the shade of Qui-Gon's eyes; that otherworldly deep blue made him a bit uneasy.

"Got it... I think" Qui-Gon murmured, curling up further. "And you'll be my master, right? Just because... I don't really want anyone else."

Dooku smiled at this innocent confession.

"You're bonded to me, so it's only logical that I'll be your master. But even if we weren't bonded... I'd still like you to be my Padawan."

Qui-Gon's eyes lit up and he threw himself into Dooku's arms; the Jedi was still stunned by these eager responses to the slightest of kindness or affection.

*

By the time they finally arrived on Coruscant, both of them were aching for a shower and a long sleep in a soft bed. Qui-Gon was weak and nauseous from the hyperspace jump, and Dooku wanted nothing more than to tuck him in his robe and let him sleep in his room, but he knew the Council wouldn't take any delay well.

"Come, I'll try to make this as short as possible" he promised, and Qui-Gon obediently followed him, as a Padawan should.

The Council had twelve members of various species, but Qui-Gon didn't recognize any of them except the humans. Most of them seemed quite harmless, but the one looked like the love child of a basilisk and a wookie was a decent nightmare-fuel, he just knew it. On the other hand, he found the little green gnome-like creature quite cute.

Dooku gave his report on the mission he accomplished, then voiced his wish to take Qui-Gon as his Padawan.

The Council's attention turned toward Qui-Gon, and the green creature – master Yoda, as he found out – asked a few questions, mostly dealing with what Qui-Gon wanted and felt.

"I'm very tired" the boy admitted, unconsciously leaning against his to-be-master; Dooku hugged him, trying to be as supportive as he could.

"Bonded, you are?" Yoda asked, and Qui-Gon was still a bit confused by his strange grammar but was clever enough not to comment on that. He guessed he'd get used to it with time. _Yoda-speech_ , he thought and smiled sleepily into Dooku's robe.

"Umm, well... yes. But it's a long story, and Qui-Gon needs some medical attention, a shower and a long sleep, so if you just please let us go...?" Dooku pleaded. "I'll tell you everything as soon as we've rested."

The Council granted his wish on leaving and taking Qui-Gon as Padawan as well, so Dooku escorted his new apprentice to the healers first to make sure he was healthy and acquire medicine for him for space-travels, then they finally retreated into Dooku's apartment.

"Take a shower, then I'll show you your room. Here's something to sleep in... We'll get a few clothes for you tomorrow" Dooku said, gently guiding Qui-Gon toward the bathroom.

"Can I have some tea?" the boy asked hopefully.

"Sure" the Jedi smiled. "I'll try find something that sooths your stomach."

"That would be great" Qui-Gon smiled back, then disappeared in the bathroom.

Half an hour later Dooku washed their mugs and gestured Qui-Gon to follow him. He led the boy to the door of the apartment's smaller bedroom.

"This is your room, I'm sure the bed has pillows and blankets, but if not, just tell me." Dooku hesitated a minute. "Don't worry about anything for now, okay? Just sleep, we'll figure out the rest later. Sweet dreams, Padawan!"

Qui-Gon nodded, trying to suppress a yawn with limited success, then hugged Dooku before he went into the room and collapsed on the bed. A minute later he was fast asleep.


	4. Padawan

When Dooku woke up the next morning, he felt pretty much reborn. The permanent tiredness that had seeped into his bones in the last week or so was gone, he was fresh and happy to be alive.

After making his bed more or less acceptable, he went to check on Qui-Gon, but the boy was still asleep, curled up and hugging a pillow to his chest lovingly. Dooku considered the idea of waking him up and sending him to a few classes, but he couldn't make himself do it. Qui-Gon needed the rest, so the classes could wait a day or two.

Dooku had to speak with the Council, where he told the whole story of him and Qui-Gon meeting and bonding to each other, but after that, he made a detour to the healers.

"Is he really alright?" he asked the healer who treated Qui-Gon the previous day.

"Well, not entirely, but it's nothing serious. He's malnourished, but I suppose it'll be solved quickly here. He obviously has symptoms of space sickness, but it can be treated easily. However... he has half-healed bruises, and I found numerous old, healed breaks. He had his left arm broken at least three times during his life, as well as his ankle and collarbone. Where did you find this child?" the healer inquired, and Dooku saw on her face that her discoveries disturbed her greatly.

They disturbed him, too. He knew Qui-Gon wasn't a lucky kid, wasn't even close to it, but somewhere deep down he hoped against hope that he wasn't _that_ miserable.

"On the streets of some nameless dust-pit town" he muttered darkly, and now he regretted that he hadn't taught that scum shopkeeper about the wrongness of child abuse; with his lightsaber or his fists, whichever would've done. "He mentioned an orphanage where he'd lived for a while, but I suppose he escaped. Somehow I'm not surprised..."

"I'm glad you've found him" the healer smiled. "He's a lovely kid. He deserves better than an abusive orphanage."

Dooku couldn't agree more. She gave him a pack of multivitamin with the instruction of making Qui-Gon take one every day after the first meal.

"He'll be fine" she smiled at the obviously worried Jedi master.

"Thank you" Dooku smiled back, and after gathering his Padawan's new clothes and other equipments, he went back to his apartment.

*

Qui-Gon woke slowly, enjoying the new feeling of comfort, warmth and safety, and, who knew, perhaps home as well. He was not yet ten when he'd lost his parents in a terrible accident; since then he hadn't had anything that resembled to a home even remotely. The streets were bad but the orphanage was worse.

He opened his eyes and looked around sleepily in his room. That was new as well; he never had a room of his own. When he was little and yet lived with his parents, there was one big room where all of them slept, plus the kitchen and the bathroom. In the orphanage all the boys, about twenty of them, were huddled together, with very slight chance of privacy. Qui-Gon generally liked people, but this was too much even for him.

He sighed and sat up, pulling the blanket tight around himself; he liked the warmth of it. Honestly, he felt quite out of his depth right now, with his Padawan-role, which he still didn't know what required of him exactly, with this entirely new community, this new place to live; and on top of that, his master wasn't home, so he couldn't even ask.

However, Qui-Gon was hungry, so he stood up, blanket still tight around him, and went to the kitchen to find something to eat. That was when Dooku got home, with a heavy-looking pack in his arms.

"Hey" he smiled at the still drowsy Qui-Gon. "Hungry?"

"Yeah. What's that?" the boy asked as he went closer to his master.

"These, my young Padawan, are all yours; clothes and other necessities. I thought I'd get them while you're still sleeping. How're you? Slept well?"

Qui-Gon nodded.

"That bed is really comfy, I like it. I've never had such a nice place to live in..."

"And does it feel strange that now you have?" Dooku asked gently, watching his Padawan's face carefully. "Does it feel wrong in any way?"

"No!" Qui-Gon shook his head firmly. "But it's very... fresh. Unusual. Being a Jedi had never been on my 'it-could-happen-someday' list. I don't even really know what a Jedi is... Do I really belong here?" he almost whispered the last part and felt his face burning in shame; he felt stupid and out-of-place.

Dooku dropped the pack in his hands on the nearest flat surface he found – that was a chair in the common room – and closed the distance between himself and Qui-Gon with two long steps.

"You belong to me. That means you belong where I do. And you'll find your place here and become a really decent Jedi. I'm sure of it" the Jedi master said with barely contained passion and hugged Qui-Gon tight.

The contact calmed Qui-Gon, and soon they sat down to have a light breakfast.

"Now, we have something important to do, my dear apprentice" Dooku claimed with unhidden cheer after Qui-Gon took his prescribed multivitamin as well. "You need a Padawan-braid."

"A... what?" Qui-Gon asked with utter puzzlement on his face.

Dooku couldn't help grinning.

"You'll see. Come!"

Qui-Gon took a quick shower and put on the set of clothes Dooku got for him. They were plain but comfortable and warm enough. He had a robe much like Dooku's, but he decided to leave it behind. He followed his master out of the room then on the corridors of the Jedi Temple 'till they reached the _Jedi Barber's Lair_. It wasn't its official name, of course, but Qui-Gon's first thought was this, and he stuck to it.

The 'barber' was a female Jedi, in her mid-twenties, with a blinding grin and a good word to everyone who stepped by. Qui-Gon instantly got a liking toward her.

"A new Padawan, I see" she greeted them when they went into her lair. "Hello, handsome!"

"Actually... my name is Qui-Gon" muttered the boy, fairly embarrassed, but he sat down when the barber told him to do so.

"Well, my bad. I'm Dina."

"Nice to meet you" Qui-Gon smiled up at her.

"Aww, how polite! Boys like your age barely remember how to pronounce 'hi' or 'thank you'. Your master can be proud of you. But let's see your hair."

"What do you want to do with my hair?" the boy asked, slightly worried.

"Why, to cut it, of course!" Dina replied cheerfully, running her slender fingers through Qui-Gon's thick, messy hair. "Force, what a magnificent mane you have! It's a shame it needs to be cut..."

Dooku could barely hold back a laugh when he saw his Padawan blushing, but then his plea sobered him.

"Please, master, do I have to do this? I don't want _that_ short hair... Please!"

Indeed, the Padawan-hairstyle was very short due to practical reasons; but it wasn't mandatory. Dooku swallowed his grin as he made a show of contemplating the question carefully.

"Well, as my Padawan, I can't let you running around with untamed hair. You have to look like a decent apprentice."

Qui-Gon's face fell, but then he retreated, ready to accept Dooku's decision.

"Yes, master" he muttered, resigned.

Dooku took pity on him.

"Although, I think just a trim will suffice. Cut it back a little, give it some style, and it'll be alright" he said to Dina.

Both Jedi laughed wholeheartedly when Qui-Gon sighed in relief.

"Will you do my braid?" Qui-Gon asked as Dina cut his hair carefully.

"No, that's your master's privilege. Master Dooku, if you will" she called Dooku when she was finished.

"Of course" Dooku said and as he stepped to Qui-Gon, his smile was so warm and kind that the boy instinctively wanted to throw himself into his arms.

However, something told him that he shouldn't, at least not just yet. So he waited patiently as his master carefully braided the thick lock Dina left untouched behind his right ear.

"Here. Done" the Jedi breathed a good five minutes later when he fixed the end of the braid with a tiny blue hair tie. "It matches your eyes" he said as Qui-Gon touched the braid curiously then picked the tie a bit, careful not to loose it.

"It's nice" he whispered, his voice strangely small; then he did throw himself into his master's arms.


	5. The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

After some friendly chitchat, Dooku and his apprentice left Dina to her work, and the Jedi master gave a tour to Qui-Gon in the Temple.

"How old is this place?" the boy asked, curiosity shining in his eyes. "The Jedi built it or some other people? Why they built it here?"

Dooku answered, as best as he could, and the questions just came relentlessly.

"Oh, Force, you're a curious fellow" Dooku laughed when he barely answered to something when Qui-Gon already wanted to know something else.

"I just... want to know your culture better, I guess. Learn about your background" the kid shrugged. "I want to know the place I'll live in from now on."

"That's completely natural" Dooku nodded. "And to help you in that noble quest I've picked a few classes that could be interesting for you. Mostly literature and history, but if there's something else you're interested in, we could find a solution."

"Classes? Like, in school?"

"Quite like in school. Jedi need education in various fields, too. We're not a secluded bunch of monks but an active part of the galaxy's life. We're helping people, and for that we have to know these people, their culture, their society, their customs. Being a Jedi is basically a constant learning about each other."

Qui-Gon's eyes were bright with enthusiasm about his master's words.

"I _want_ to do this! I want to help people" he declared, and a part of his doubt about belonging here or not vanished with his newly found resolve.

"Then I hope you'll find this time with us fruitful in every way possible" Dooku smiled and hugged his excited Padawan quickly. "But here's the thing. I have to go and get something done in the city. I can leave you alone for a few hours, can't I?"

"Of course, master. I'm sixteen, after all..." Qui-Gon blushed, but Dooku felt that he was touched by his care. "I'm gonna be okay."

"Fine. Try not to get lost. It takes some time to get used to this place."

"I'll be careful" Qui-Gon promised, and Dooku left him with a warm smile.

The kid wandered for a while, and he ended up before a spacious, open classroom where master Yoda taught the little Jedi, not more than four or five years old, to use a lightsaber – a training one, of course. Qui-Gon had never seen a lightsaber before, and the sight of the pure energy blades enticed him in a way; he just stared, almost unblinking.

"Come in, you may" Yoda said, turning toward him slowly, as if walking had been an effort to him; Qui-Gon saw that he had a stick to support him. But somehow he doubted that this Jedi master was as disabled as he might have looked.

"Um, I'm sorry, master, I didn't mean to disturb your lesson..." the boy apologized, but when Yoda gestured with his clawed hand to step in, he obeyed. "Hi" he smiled at the dozen or so kids.

A few answered in kind or waved their not always human hands at him. Qui-Gon wasn't sure what he should do, so he just sat down on the floor at the end of the classroom and watched the lesson going on. Yoda was a good teacher, it was clear even from that short time he spent on observing him. He was patient, he could explain everything on the children's level, he was even funny with his unusual grammar structure. Qui-Gon enjoyed himself pretty much on this lesson, although, he didn't understand too much of it, for he wasn't either a lightsaber or a Force expert.

Then one of the kids, a boy around five, ran to him and grabbed his hand, tugging him toward their group.

"You should play with us, too!" he declared, his small voice full of excitement.

Qui-Gon looked at Yoda with utter bewilderment, but the little green master just laughed, amused.

"A kind and big heart, young Kenobi has" he said fondly. "Leave you out of their fun, he wants not."

"But... I don't know how these sabers work. And I don't want to injure anybody by accident" Qui-Gon muttered, face red with embarrassment.

"You're a Padawan. How comes you don't know how a lightsaber works?" chirped up a girl from behind Yoda's back.

"Well, um, I... I just became a Padawan yesterday. And I didn't live here before, in this nice Jedi place."

The girl obviously wanted to push the matter further, but Yoda, who knew about Qui-Gon's past via Dooku's story, intervened before anything untactful or painful could've been asked.

"Perhaps another time, he would play with us. After his master taught him everything."

"Well, that's gonna be a long time..." Qui-Gon murmured, then looked down when the boy, Kenobi, tugged at the sleeve of his tunic.

The kid was really cute with his messy reddish-brown hair and big grey-blue eyes, and he radiated love and acceptance that soothed Qui-Gon's nervousness somewhat.

"Come again next time and I'll help you learn about lightsabers" he offered with genuine kindness and care. "And there's master Yoda. We'll teach you!"

Qui-Gon felt himself blushing again and glanced at Yoda, more or less expecting him to refuse to act on this offer of his student; surely he had more important things to do than teach a clueless Padawan about something he should've known already.

But the little green master just smiled at him, his gaze kind and calm.

"A welcome guest you are, Padawan Jinn" he said. "Tomorrow at noon, the next class will be."

"Well... Then if it's okay, I'd gladly drop by."

Young Kenobi seemed to be happy with that. Qui-Gon smiled at him, bid farewell to master Yoda and went back to his master's apartment to have something to eat.

He was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling and musing on the day's events when Dooku got home. Qui-Gon jumped to his feet and hurried to greet him with a hug. He needed some physical contact, after all.

"I missed you, too" Dooku sighed and hugged him back. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, just... I've met master Yoda. And a bunch of younglings with lightsabers, who know more of these things at four than I do at sixteen. Not embarrassing at all..." Qui-Gon muttered into his master's tunic.

Dooku sighed sympathetically; he could imagine how hard this whole situation for Qui-Gon was. And he was determined to make it easier for him.

"Then from tomorrow on, you can visit any class you want. Or if you'd like, I could help you to choose the most suitable ones."

"Actually, master Yoda offered me to go to his lightsaber-class."

"With the four-year-olds?" Dooku smiled.

"Yeah. But I'm okay with that, I guess... There's a kid who seems to be quite happy about it. And he's cute, I like him."

"Then don't make him disappointed. But I'll give you lightsaber-lessons, too, nonetheless."

After dinner, Dooku helped his Padawan to pick classes he wanted to go to. Qui-Gon chose literature, history, anthropology and, much to his master's surprise, biology classes. His physical and Force-training was entirely in Dooku's hands, except that one lightsaber-class with master Yoda, and both of them were content with that for the time being.


	6. Jedi... Jedi Everywhere

Next morning Qui-Gon woke with some moderate nervousness, he could barely eat his breakfast.

"What if everyone's gonna laugh at me? I'm just a Force-sensitive street rat, anyway..." he muttered, casting a painful glance at his master over his orange juice.

"But you're my Padawan" Dooku answered patiently; he knew very well that fighting off Qui-Gon's self-doubt and uncertainty would take a lot more than a few days. "And I don't want to brag but everyone here knows that I wouldn't choose just anybody as my Padawan. I chose you. It has to be enough for everybody. Don't be afraid, it's going to be alright."

Qui-Gon managed a weak smile and just hoped that he would be worthy of his master's trust and faith in him.

"And don't forget, we'll have a lesson an hour before dinner, in the classroom where master Yoda has his lightsaber class."

"Okay... But how am I gonna get a lightsaber?"

"Leave it to me" Dooku smiled at him reassuringly. "It's time to go, though, if you don't want to be late from your history class."

"Ooops!"

Qui-Gon drank his orange juice then after a quick hug he was out of the apartment.

Dooku wondered if he'd ever get tired of this experience of having someone in his life he cared about so deeply and honestly. For a long time, he was very unsure about taking a Padawan, he was afraid he would prove to be too inexperienced, too impatient or simply a bad teacher; and he had standards, of course. He knew it was snobbish, but, as he said to Qui-Gon earlier, he wouldn't have taken anyone. He wanted his Padawan to be at the top of his or her class – or at least close to it –, to be obedient, polite, intelligent, and good with the lightsaber.

The Jedi felt himself smiling at the irony of the situation. He wanted a perfect little mini-Jedi, but he got a not-a-child-but-neither-an-adult-yet, shy and adorable beyond imagination street rat instead. A street rat who didn't even really know what a Jedi was. If that was the Force's way to teach him humbleness, well, it was working perfectly. Dooku knew the moment he decided to take Qui-Gon as his Padawan that he wouldn't trade the boy for the galaxy. He didn't want a faultless little Padawan anymore; he just wanted Qui-Gon to grow up by his side.

*

Despite Qui-Gon's fears, the history class was quiet and fairly interesting. His classmates were kind enough, no one bullied him because of his lack of knowledge; quite the opposite. They explained him the things he clearly didn't get at first, and a boy, two years younger than he was, named Mace Windu, offered him his notes from earlier classes.

"That would be great, thanks" Qui-Gon smiled.

"If you come back to my room with me, I can give them to you now."

"Fine."

The boys walked in silence for a minute, but Mace couldn't hide his curiosity further.

"So... Who is your master?" he asked, waving toward Qui-Gon's Padawan-braid.

"Master Dooku. He found me a few days ago."

"Where?"

"Very-very far from here."

"That's why you're..." Mace stopped when Qui-Gon glared at him, blushing hard.

For Mace had dark skin, it was a quite interesting sight, and Qui-Gon couldn't help his surprised snort. Mace grinned, too, and the tension dissipated.

"Sorry, I didn't want to be an asshole" he said, and Qui-Gon felt that he meant the apology. "But it's a strange thing here if a Padawan... well, knows that little. But I suppose there's a reason for it."

Qui-Gon shrugged, not quite willing to talk about his 'reason' further. Mace picked up the signs and dropped the topic.

"Which other classes are you in? Perhaps I can find notes for them as well" he said instead.

Qui-Gon told him, but as it turned out, Mace had useful notes only for literature class. Otherwise, he was more into creative classes like digital art and drawing, and a bit of music as well.

"I wouldn't have thought..." Qui-Gon muttered when the other boy showed him a few of his drawings.

"No one really would" Mace shrugged. "But it's okay, I like to surprise them."

When Qui-Gon parted from the other boy, he hoped that he found a friend; he knew he wouldn't last long without at least a few good friends here. His master was alright, the Kenobi kid too, but he needed his peers as well.

And talking about the Kenobi kid, he was overjoyed when Qui-Gon arrived at master Yoda's class, as he promised last day.

"Hi!" he greeted the much taller Padawan with an ear-to-ear grin.

Qui-Gon crouched down so he could look the kid in the eye.

"Hi" he smiled. "I fear I didn't catch your name yesterday, so would you be so kind to tell me?"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi. But everyone calls me Obi. You can, too" the kid offered, and his radiating joy seemed to be catchy.

"Thanks. I'm Qui-Gon Jinn... And I suppose you can call me whatever you want."

"Qui?"

"Fine with me" Qui-Gon shrugged.

In the next minute, master Yoda arrived.

"Welcome, Padawan Jinn, a pleasure, it is, to see you. To learn, you have come?" he greeted Qui-Gon with a kind smile.

"Well, yeah, I hope so, master Yoda. Thank you for having me in your class."

"A burden, it is not. Happy, I am, to teach" the old master said casually and shepherded his class inside the spacious room.

Qui-Gon, as yesterday, wanted to occupy the space in the end of the classroom, but Yoda didn't let him.

"Meditate with us, you will. Teach you how, we will" he declared, and Qui-Gon didn't dare contradict, however much he didn't know a thing about meditation.

But it seemed it was an important thing to the Jedi, he saw his master meditate last night and this morning as well.

"Sure, I can try..." he said hesitantly; he shouldn't have, though.

"Try, you can't! Do or do not, there is no try" Yoda scolded him, and the kids giggled; they've most probably heard this lesson for a few times already.

Qui-Gon didn't know how to react, but he blushed and dropped his gaze, embarrassed.

"Alright, it is. With time, everything you will learn. Come now!"

Qui-Gon obeyed and sat behind Obi when Yoda instructed them to do so. Obi turned back to him and sent him a reassuring smile; Qui-Gon couldn't help smiling back.

Meditation sounded easy but it wasn't. Quiet his mind proved to be harder than one would've thought. Qui-Gon couldn't get his mind to shut up at all; something always distracted him, smells, voices, the fact that he was getting hungry... so meditation was a complete failure at first.

He wasn't happy, however, Yoda didn't get angry with him, he didn't even scold him.

"Your master to help, you must ask" this was all that Yoda said to him regarding his non-existent meditation skills.

Qui-Gon just nodded, swallowing his shame.

The next part of the lesson was more enjoyable.

Obi gave him his training lightsaber, and Yoda explained how it worked. The lightsaber obviously had been made for kids, for Qui-Gon could hold it only in one hand.

The green master got his students going through the basic movements so Qui-Gon could see and learn them. When he was a tad surer than a newborn cow – at least he felt like he wasn't any better than that – Yoda gave him a scarf to cover his eyes.

Qui-Gon obeyed, although, he had no idea what was the little master's plan. Well, he learned soon enough. He heard a small "phew" noise and almost instantly felt a sting in his hand.

"Ouch!" he yelped; it was more unexpected than painful, but still.

"Use my lightsaber!" Obi suggested. "There's a floating droid shooting at you."

"Yeah, thanks, that much was clear" answered Qui-Gon; he remembered the kids playing with the mean sphere yesterday.

"Use the Force, you must" he heard Yoda speaking. "Help you to defend yourself, it will."

"Fine..." Qui-Gon muttered. "Fine."

He took a deep breath and reached out for the Force. It was there, it had always been there, but now he needed it for a more complicated task than simple comfort-providing; he'd got an evil sphere going for roasting his ass. He had to hunt it down.

He activated Obi's lightsaber, and although it wasn't comfortable or even remotely right in his hand, he managed to deflect a few bolts. More hit him, leaving a stinging feeling.

"Are you okay?" Obi asked worriedly when master Yoda let them go.

"Yeah, it's just... a bit uncomfortable" Qui-Gon shrugged, massaging his left shoulder; it's been hit for several times. "Until next time, then" he smiled at the kid, then left to get some food before his lesson with his master.

He hoped that Dooku had been planning nothing as cruel as the evil sphere.


	7. The Training Begins

When Qui-Gon got back to master Yoda's classroom, his master had already been there, greeting him with a warm hug.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly when Qui-Gon flinched.

"Well, um... master Yoda launched his evil sphere on me. And it was in a really, really mean mood."

Dooku suppressed a smile as he examined his Padawan's aching shoulder. The evil sphere's laser wasn't dangerous but if it hit one place too many times, it could hurt for a day or two.

"I'll show you a trick" Dooku said, and his hands began to glow faintly with a nice light blue colour.

Qui-Gon felt the warm energy radiating from his master's hand easing the pain in his shoulder, eventually obliterating it entirely.

"How... how did you do that? What was that?" he asked when he could finally speak past the awe.

"It's called Force-healing, every Jedi can do it on some level, at least to make their injuries heal faster. It's a very useful skill" Dooku explained. "I'll teach it to you soon enough."

Qui-Gon grinned, looking forward to it; the more he saw of his master's Jedi powers, the more interested he got in this whole thing. He enjoyed that he was safe, warm, well fed, and above all, loved; loved so much that only his parents could've been a match for it.

"Now, my dear Padawan, I'm going to teach you something else. I suppose if Yoda put you up against the evil sphere, he'd already taught you at least the very basics of lightsaber-fight."

Qui-Gon nodded.

"He said something about various forms, but to be honest, I didn't really get it... I was glad I managed to remember where to put my feet so I wouldn't fall on my face" he grimaced, blushing with the memory of his poor performance.

Dooku smiled at him fondly, ruffling his soft hair.

"You'll get better in it. And for that, I've searched and fortunately found this for you. It was my first lightsaber I've built as a Padawan. When the time comes, you'll build your very own lightsaber, but it'll do for the time being. You can learn the basics with it."

Qui-Gon took the weapon curiously, already liking it for being his master's property. It was much more comfortable than Obi's kid-sized training saber, and when he activated it, a nice green blade showed up.

"The energy of the blade can be controlled, it's currently on the lowest level, and please don't turn it up until I say so. I suppose I don't have to explain why."

"No, master. I promise I'll be very careful."

"I know you will be. But let's see what master Yoda hammered into that smart head of yours!"

Dooku was fairly pleased. Yes, Qui-Gon was shy. Uncertain. A bit clumsy, like all boys at his age. But he definitely had potential, for he was a quick learner and could be really graceful if he put an effort into it. Dooku had little worry about his Padawan's lightsaber-training.

"Um... master Yoda told me to speak with you about something" Qui-Gon dropped in when they were finished with saber-practice for the day.

Dooku had a guess about what could be the problem, since he was quite familiar with the schedule of Yoda's lessons; but he waited for his Padawan to say it himself.

"At the beginning of the lesson, we meditated... or, well, _they_ meditated... but I couldn't, however hard I tried. And master Yoda said I must ask you to help me" Qui-Gon told with a gorgeous blush; Dooku found it quite endearing.

"Alright. Let's go get dinner, then we go home, and after a shower we'll see what could be done" Dooku nodded, already on his way to the desired dinner.

An hour later master and his Padawan sat on Dooku's big, comfortable bed, facing each other as Dooku explained why meditation was so important to the Jedi and why it was good for health, mental or otherwise.

"Side note: you probably don't want to meditate when you're hungry" added Dooku smiling.

"Don't you say?!" Qui-Gon muttered darkly.

Dooku laughed softly.

"Now, don't fuss, my dear Padawan. Take my hand, close your eyes and concentrate on our bond. I'll show you a way to do this."

Qui-Gon obeyed, clinging to his master's hands eagerly; Dooku was still sometimes baffled by the boy's enthusiasm about physical contact. Not that he would've wanted to complain, but he definitely needed time to get used to it completely.

"Don't think about anything. Don't worry about anything. Just breathe, and quiet your mind. Relax" he murmured, his tone intentionally soothing.

After about an hour Qui-Gon started to get it, but he must've been very tired, for not a minute passed after he finally slipped into the right mind-state for meditation when he simply fell asleep.

Dooku opened his eyes when Qui-Gon fell on his bed, sprawled on the mattress and snoring softly into the blanket. _That's my Padawan..._ , Dooku thought with a fond smile, and he felt a love so fierce and passionate for this boy, _his_ boy, that it almost brought tears into his eyes. He knew he'd kill for Qui-Gon without a blink of an eye, obliterate anyone who would dare hurt his Padawan.

He called his robe to him with the Force, tucking Qui-Gon in carefully. The boy sighed and instinctively snuggled closer when Dooku lay down behind him, hugging him gently.

"Sweet dreams, little one!" the Jedi whispered before he fell asleep as well.


	8. Favourite Place

When Qui-Gon woke up, at first he couldn't even imagine what he was doing in his master's bed. Then he slowly remembered the last evening, when they practiced meditation, and he just fell asleep in the middle of it.

Since he felt Dooku's presence nearby, and his master didn't seem angry at all, he dared open his eyes and look around drowsily. He was covered with his master's warm robe, and he pulled it tighter around himself as he curled up, rubbing his face to the soft blanket. He just loved this comfort and warmth.

"Get up, sleepyhead!" Dooku said as he tried to lure his Padawan out of the bed with a cup of hot tea. "Your class starts at ten, and it's already nine o'clock."

"It seems I need an alarm..." Qui-Gon murmured with a yawn and followed his master into the kitchen.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll deal with that" Dooku promised somewhat menacingly.

Qui-Gon smiled at him as innocently as he could, and it seemed to work, for Dooku smiled back and even gave him breakfast as well. Qui-Gon took a quick shower, brushed his teeth, then he was out of the apartment after his usual mandatory amount of physical contact with his master – aka hug. Dooku just couldn't get tired of it.

 

The next week was mostly about getting used to things for Qui-Gon. Getting used to his classes; his classmates; meditation; the fact that he had a potentially lethal weapon in his possession; the maze-like corridors of the Jedi Temple. And the list was endless. More than once he felt overwhelmed, confused, and the only thing he really wanted to do was to curl up in his bed, under his master's robe, and just cry.

He didn't do it, yet, but he had a feeling that it couldn't be avoided much longer. The teachers in his classes were fairly good, they didn't act like it was a big deal that Qui-Gon was far behind, they just gave him readings and assignments to catch up. Now, _that_ list also looked like pretty much endless.

Dooku was with him, like always, and he helped as much as he could, but Qui-Gon still felt like drowning in the pile of tasks he should've got done.

At the end of the week, after the history class, Mace walked up to him.

"Come, I've got something to show you. I think you'll like it" he said with a playful glint in his dark brown eyes.

Qui-Gon shrugged and followed the other boy. He was too tired even to ask where they were going. Mace led him to a part of the Temple he hadn't been yet, and they walked into a vast, lush garden.

"Oh my... Wow! That's fantastic!" Qui-Gon gasped, looking around in awe, his eyes wide.

"You want to see my favourite place?" Mace asked, and not even waiting for an answer, began to jog toward the end of the garden.

Qui-Gon trotted behind him, now quite curious. He loved this garden. It was colourful, lively, and he felt the anxiety of the past week easing a bit. He felt lighter.

Mace stopped at a small waterfall, gesturing Qui-Gon to sit down on one of the bigger, flat rocks beside the lake the waterfall ended in. Qui-Gon sat, hugging his knees and dropping his head on them. He closed his eyes and reached out, feeling the Force buzzing with energy around him. It felt so good and calming that the next thing he knew was Mace shaking his shoulder gently.

"W-what...?" Qui-Gon murmured almost incoherently and blinked drowsily at Mace's grinning face.

"You dozed off for a while" Mace answered. "Maybe you should go home and sleep before you end up in the lake."

"Hmm..."

The boys walked out of the garden, Mace leading the way.

"Anyway, it's a really beautiful place" said Qui-Gon. "You're right, I like it very much."

"Now, that's cool" smiled Mace. "See you later!"

Mace went to his own quarters, and Qui-Gon ran back to the apartment he shared with his master. Dooku wasn't at home, but Qui-Gon found his discarded robe on the couch. He kicked off his shoes, changed into his sleeping T-shirt and sweatpants, grabbed his master's robe and curled up on Dooku's bed, using the robe as a blanket. A minute later, he fell asleep.

*

When he abruptly woke up, the first thing he felt was that he couldn't breathe. He tried, gasping for air, but he felt something squeezing his chest too painfully to breathe. He was about to get a full-blown panic attack when the bond between him and Dooku came to life, and his master sent soothing, comforting waves to him; and Qui-Gon finally realized that it was his master's hug that made it a bit hard to breathe.

He wriggled a little, and Dooku loosened his grasp but didn't let go; and Qui-Gon didn't want him to let go. He buried his face into Dooku's shoulder, snuggling as close to him as he could, and as the adrenaline subsided, his long held-back tears began to fall finally.

"Shhh, it's alright. It's alright" Dooku whispered as he stroked his Padawan's back slowly, still sending the comforting waves through their bond. "Just a bad dream. It's okay, you're safe."

Qui-Gon just clung to him even tighter, weeping into his tunic, and Dooku got the feeling that it wasn't just the nightmare that made him cry that much.

"I'm here... and I'll always be here. And I hope you know you can tell me anything, anytime. I'll help you, as much as I can. Just trust me and tell me what's wrong" he murmured, running his fingers through his Padawan's messy, soft hair. "I promise I won't get angry" he added with a gentle smile.

"I know..." Qui-Gon sniffled. "And it's nothing, just... I just... feel a bit overwhelmed. I love my classes, I love to learn all these things but... I feel I can never catch up. There's so much I don't know, and the readings, the assignments... There are so many of them I can't even remember which I've done already and which not... It's just a big pile of mess... And... and I want to be a good Padawan, I want to make you proud, and I want to be more than just a street rat..." his voice cracked as fresh tears welled up in his eyes.

"Oh, little one" Dooku sighed, hugging his apprentice tighter. "You _are_ a good Padawan, a wonderful Padawan, I couldn't wish for better. And I'm very proud of you because you were brave enough to come with me into the total unknown when you barely knew me, you trusted me with your very life, and it's not a thing everybody would do easily. And I'm proud of you because you work hard for yourself, not because someone expects you to do so. You're smart, kind, caring, and you'll be a great Jedi knight."

"Are you sure?" Qui-Gon asked, his voice small and uncertain.

"I can't be surer. Now, tell me, Padawan dearest... what can I do for you to feel better?"

"Well... Mace showed me the garden. And I really, really love this place. So if we could go there for a while, that would feel good."

Dooku just nodded, and after Qui-Gon washed his face, they went to the garden. Qui-Gon found a small clearing close to the gate, circled with bushes. They sat down and meditated together for a while. Then they just talked about everything that came to their minds.

"I think I've found my favourite place here" Qui-Gon sighed as they were on their way back to their apartment.

Dooku gave the boy his robe to sleep with, for Qui-Gon clearly preferred it to the normal blankets, and he hoped his Padawan felt lighter after their discussion.

"I love you, my dear Padawan" he said when Qui-Gon lay down on his bed, happily using Dooku's robe as a blanket.

He smiled up at Dooku, but before he could answer, sleep took over him. Dooku just smiled fondly and left Qui-Gon's room quietly.


	9. Favour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's still a cut off-age, now it's 14.

_9 years later_

Qui-Gon simply couldn't find Obi. He watched in his room, in the garden, in the healer's, even in the men's bathrooms, but it seemed Obi simply vanished. He sighed impatiently when suddenly someone jumped on him and hugged his neck tight.

"Hi, Mace, it's good to see you, too" he managed to say, gasping for air.

"Sorry" Mace grinned without the slightest of remorse. "But I missed you."

Qui-Gon had to swallow the sudden lump in his throat. Mace had been away for almost a year on a mission, so he wasn't there on his knighting ceremony. He knew it wasn't Mace's fault at all, but it still hurt very much. Mace was his best friend, next to Obi, who was like a little brother to Qui-Gon.

"However, I _am_ sorry I wasn't here when you lost your Padawan-braid" said Mace.

"Actually, I never literally lost it. My master just got out the hair tie and combed my hair" Qui-Gon admitted, and to his surprise, Mace started to laugh.

"Don't get me wrong, but... it's so much you!"

Qui-Gon shrugged. He never fit in here entirely in the first place, so he got used to do things in his own way. The shy, adorable Padawan became a gorgeous but still quite lovely Jedi with a will of steel long before his knighting half a year ago. So he flat out refused the traditional way, aka Padawan-braid gets cut off with his master's lightsaber, and to be honest, Dooku wasn't too enthusiastic about that, either. So they found this in-between solution, since Qui-Gon had already had long hair. Later Dooku cut the standing out length of the braid with a harmless scissors Dina lent him.

Qui-Gon waited until Mace finally stopped laughing.

"I'm glad you find it so entertaining" he said. "But another topic: have you seen Obi? I've been searching him for at least an hour now..."

"I just got back not long ago" Mace shrugged. "You're the first important person I've met."

Qui-Gon just had to smile at this.

"Would you help me to find him?"

"Of course. It's not the kid's style to play hide and seek."

Mace and Obi were on fairly good terms with each other, however, the true link between them was Qui-Gon himself. If Qui-Gon weren't there to keep the little team together, Mace and Obi most probably wouldn't have ever talked to each other.

Mace and Qui-Gon began the search again, now starting with scarcely used classrooms; that was Mace's suggestion, he said he used to hide in classrooms when he was upset. Finally, this guess proved right, they found Obi in a classroom that hadn't been in use at least for a decade. It was dusty, the smell was less than appealing, and more than one pieces of the furniture were in various degree of decay.

Obi didn't seem to be bothered by his environment, though, because he was deep in the swamp of despair; at least that was Qui-Gon's first thought when he heard Obi crying.

"Hey, little one, what's wrong?" he asked as he crouched down beside the kid.

Obi looked up, startled; he didn't notice his friends coming in. But when he recognized Qui-Gon through his tears, he threw himself into his arms without hesitation, sobbing even harder. Obi was almost fourteen now, but he was still so small that Qui-Gon, who was the tallest among them with his 193 cm, could carry him easily on his back.

"Now, now... Why are you crying this much? You're scaring me" Qui-Gon murmured, stroking Obi's back slowly, trying to calm the kid.

Mace simply sat down on the floor next to them, ruffling Obi's hair playfully.

"C'mon, big boy, if you don't stop crying, I won't give you the present I've brought you. And it would be a shame, since I'm quite sure you'd like it."

The Jedi knights knew that something was really wrong when Obi didn't even try to pretend he cared about Mace's present. Usually, he did like their presents: cookies, sweets, sometimes toys. Now he didn't even ask what was it.

"Obi, please... stop crying and tell me what's wrong. I want to help, little one, but I can't if you just won't tell me how."

This time Obi made a real effort to calm down at least a little, but he still sniffled excessively as he told Qui-Gon the story: if he won't find a master in two weeks, until his 14th birthday, he had to give up his dream to become a Jedi and go to the AgriCorps.

Now, AgriCorps wasn't a curse, it indeed did a very important and useful job that helped so many people to live better, but once you got there, there was no way back. AgriCorps was a dead end on the path of becoming a Jedi knight.

"Don't tell me no one chose you!" said Mace in complete disbelief. "They can't be that stupid!"

Obi just shook his head, crying into Qui-Gon's tunic again. Then he looked up finally.

"I w-want you a-anyway..." he sniffled, tears running down on his cheeks freely.

That was the point when Qui-Gon, too, landed on his ass on the floor, still with the clingy Obi in his arms. He would've laughed at the absurd idea, he'd been a knight for bloody six months only, without any real experience yet, but Obi was crying, and he would have never laughed into a crying child's face.

"Little one..." he began, wiping Obi's face gently with the sleeve of his tunic. "I... can't be your master, I just got knighted a few months ago. I don't have the experience I need for being anyone's master. And if I were your master, I'd want to be the best master, who can give you everything you need. I'm not that person right now, I need more learning myself."

"But... but if you don't take me..." Obi whimpered, fresh tears falling from his eyes.

Qui-Gon swallowed, trying desperately to find a solution. He couldn't ask Mace; it was a huge sacrifice to ask, for one. And for two, Mace had already been bonded to someone, he just waited for her to reach her tenth birthday to take her as his Padawan.

 _Um... Master?_ , he probed, reaching out through his bond with Dooku. _If you could please come here, we REALLY need you._

 _I'm on my way_ , Dooku sent back, and he indeed arrived five minutes later.

The scene that greeted him was quite unusual: in an abandoned classroom were his ex-Padawan and his ex-Padawan's best friend, and they were apparently trying to comfort a sobbing youngling whom Dooku identified as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Dooku stepped to them without hesitation, crouching down beside the little group himself.

"What's wrong? How can I help?" he asked, looking from Qui-Gon to Mace, then at the crying kid.

Qui-Gon opened his mouth, but then he hesitated. He really didn't know how to ask this; but he had to. He couldn't let Obi being sent away. He wasn't going to let this happen, for he was sure it was fundamentally wrong. Obi-Wan Kenobi's destiny was to become a Jedi knight.

"Master..." he began hesitantly. "I know I don't have any right to ask this of you, but... but I need to. I just can't turn away. I..." he stopped again, but when he didn't feel any resentment or refusal in Dooku, he dared continue. "Obi needs a master, but I can't take this role yet. So would you... would you please consider... taking him as your new Padawan? He has to be a Jedi, I'm sure of it!"

Obi stopped crying and now waited trembling in Qui-Gon's arms as master Dooku indeed considered what he had been told. He felt the huge potential in the child, and he didn't agree with sending him away, either. But if he wanted to be honest, he wouldn't have thought about taking him as Padawan by himself. However, the fact that Qui-Gon asked it... it indeed made him consider carefully. And he pretty much liked the kid, anyway.

"Come here, Obi-Wan" he said finally.

Obi tried really hard to be brave; he straightened, wiped his face and stepped to Dooku, looking him straight in the eyes.

"That's my boy!" Dooku smiled warmly. "You'll be a great Padawan."

At first, Obi didn't even comprehend what had been said; but when he did, he just threw himself into his new master's arms.

"Oh my, another lovebug... What have you got me into, Qui-Gon Jinn?" Dooku sighed dramatically; but his smile gave away his true feelings: that he was happy to have a Padawan to love again.

And Qui-Gon knew that Obi was in the best care he could get him.

 

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although I know I could've continued this story more or less infinitely, I've decided to close it with this chapter. I've reached what I wanted: Qui found his place, a better life and a family in everything but blood. And little Obi's fate has also got fixed, so... ;)


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